The Environmental Protection Administration on Wednesday proposed a regulation that would ban tableware made of a polylactide (PLA) plastic at eight types of public venues, including schools, convenience stores and restaurants.
The proposal would revise an existing regulation that bans those eight venues from providing plastic tableware except for PLA-made items.
Taiwan banned plastic tableware at public agencies, schools, department stores and shopping malls, hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants in 2002.
However, PLA was excluded because it was thought to be more biodegradable than other similar materials.
The regulation was revised in 2006 to prohibit the distribution of single-use tableware involving materials other than plastics to people dining on-site at schools and public agencies.
In 2019, the regulation was revised to ban the use of plastic straws — which are not made of PLA — at public agencies, school cafeterias, department stores, shopping malls and restaurants.
It also banned the distribution of single-use tableware made of any material for on-site dining at all eight venue types.
Although PLA was thought to be relatively biodegradable, the Environmental Protection Administration has found that it disintegrates very slowly except under specific conditions, the agency said.
The proposed regulation would go through a public review period and would take effect on Aug. 1, it said.
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